RPM: Loss
by thunderyoshi
Summary: Sometimes the biggest threat of all is in plain view.


**I didn't plan on posting this just yet, but it's been sitting taunting me in a folder for over a week. And I got the first chapter written pretty quick so I'm gonna try and get as much done while I can, I wasn't going to but after 9 out of 10 days straight of work I need this.  
**

 **I hope you like it!**

* * *

RPM: Loss

Sitting in front of a pot filled with soil, Teddie glared at it, her dark brown eyes narrowed in focus. Holding out her hand, she let the magic flow and after a moment, a sprout appeared from under the soil, growing at an enhanced rate until it flowered, blooming into a pretty white rose. Teddie's eyes lit up and she smiled, delighted at the achievement.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to grow something, or if the pot was going to break from your glare," Heckyl commented idly, having been watching her practice as he ate beside her. Teddie turned a frown on him, her lower lip sticking out in a pout.

"Don't be so mean," she scolded. He smirked at her, sticking another chocolate into his mouth. "And gimme, I want one!" she reached out, but he held them out of her reach.

"You said you didn't like them," he argued, taking delight in teasing the girl as she moved closer, stretching out her hand to try and get them. Unfortunately for Teddie, Heckyl's reach was much farther.

"I changed my mind! Gimme!" Teddie whined, throwing herself forwards. Not having expected it, Heckyl tumbled off the seat and pulled Teddie with him, and the two landed on the ground with a thud. The chocolates scattered across the room, and Heckyl arched an eyebrow at Teddie, who had pinned him down.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked her, and Teddie started to laugh.

"Totally," she confirmed, and Heckyl couldn't help but smile at her as she giggled, not moving. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and Teddie's fingers hooked around his shirt as she overbalanced. As she recovered, he kissed her, and Teddie giggled again. "You taste like chocolate," she told him as she drew back. Heckyl's mischievous smile made her cheeks warm.

"Then you got what you wanted, no?" he asked innocently, and Teddie blushed even harder.

"You're so wrong," she told him, leaning in and kissing him softly. Heckyl's arms went around her to pull her into him, as they got lost in the kiss. After returning to Briarwood, the two had only gotten closer, much to Xander's exasperation.

"Urgh, must you?" they reluctantly parted and looked up as Nora walked in, rolling her eyes. There was a loud clatter as she dumped her sword on the table.

"No weapons on the table," Teddie smiled pleasantly, standing and pulling Heckyl back to his feet. Nora looked at her with a blank expression, and pointed. Teddie's eyes widened and she let out a curse. "Not again!" she whined, rushing over to the now broken pot, where the roots of the rose she'd grown had burst out.

"Distracted again, Teddie?" Althea asked with an amused smile, seeing Teddie working to calm the growth of the flower. Teddie blushed.

"Making out with her boyfriend instead," Nora muttered.

"I will hurt you," Teddie shot her a glare as both she and Heckyl went red.

"Xander was easily distracted too. It's an Earth thing, I find," Althea answered idly. "Oh, and weapons off the table, Nora," she smiled at the Fire witch, who grumbled and lifted her sword off the table. "Focus is important Teddie, especially with the more delicate magic," the Lunar Knight told her granddaughter, who nodded.

"Right, sorry," Teddie sighed. Althea smiled, patting her cheek gently.

"You're doing well," she praised. "But you," Heckyl blinked as he straightened up, having been lifting the fallen chocolate. "Are a terrible distraction for her," she said sternly.

"I'm...sorry?" Heckyl tried, still unsure of how to deal with Teddie's very strange family. Althea then laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm teasing. You're too rigid around us still," she scolded him. Teddie put a hand to her face.

"Grandma, please, stop," she pleaded. Althea just laughed, walking away.

"Please, you guys should be used to it by now," Nora commented as she stood in front of the brooms on the wall. "I mean you've been back how long now?" she glanced over.

"Oh, that reminds me," Teddie's eyes widened and she checked her watch. "I'm gonna be late," she realised.

"You say that like it's a surprise," Heckyl told her, and Teddie glowered at him. He just chuckled, not affected by her look.

"You sure you don't want to come with?" she asked, grabbing her jacket.

"No thank you, I'm not one of your little pack of crayons," Heckyl shook his head, and Teddie rolled her eyes.

"You need to stop calling us that," she told him, before pushing up to kiss his cheek. "I'll see you laters. Bye!" Teddie called, jogging out of Rootcore.

"Perfect, Heckyl, you can help me gather the ingredients for Joe's new potion, he and Chip are calling over later for it," Althea grinned, and he looked a little uncertain, now wondering if he should have gone with Teddie after all.

* * *

It had been a year since Amber Beach had suffered massive damage in the final battle for the Dino Charge Power Rangers. The city had been filled with monsters, and Power Rangers that hadn't been seen in years suddenly returned to help battle them. Then there had been a massive Megazord battle between the Dino Charge Megazords and the Zord turned evil by the Dark Ranger.

A lot of repairs had to be made, but thankfully the fighting had stopped after that massive fight. The Rangers had also vanished, with still no sign of who they really were, much like most teams that had fought over the years.

Adjusting her sunglasses, Teddie was sitting in the park stretched, enjoying the bright sun that shone done. She watched people walk by, also enjoying the nice weather out.

"Good to see people are finally coming back to the city," she looked to Jeremy beside her, also wearing sunglasses. His blond hair had been cut a little shorter, and the black tattoo on his arm stood out against his faint tan.

"Yeah, looks like it's finally recovering," Teddie said to Jeremy, smiling softly. "I'm glad," she said, and he nodded.

"You guys look a right pair," Teddie's smile grew at the Irish accent that reacted them. They looked around, and with a laugh, Teddie stood.

"Oli!" she threw herself at the blonde girl, who laughed and hugged her back.

"Hey Ted, missed you too," she smiled as Jeremy got up.

"You literally saw her yesterday," Chase pointed out in exasperation.

"Hey guys," he greeted as Teddie released Olivia and hugged Chase. "How's Briarwood treating you?" Jeremy asked as the four stood together.

"Great, Joe and Hannah have been really great," Olivia smiled, having been staying with the two since leaving Amber Beach.

"When she's actually there. She's usually surfing or training with Maddie," Chase shrugged, and she rolled her eyes.

"Aw, you neglecting my bro?" Teddie giggled.

"Not at all," Olivia's voice was heavy with exasperation. It was obvious that they'd had this discussion before. "He's off skateboarding or training himself if I'm doing those things," she looked at her boyfriend, who grinned back at her unapologetically.

"Hey guys!" they looked around and smiled as Tyler and Shelby approached with Riley, waving to them.

"Riley, did you get stranded again?" Teddie teased the young man, who blushed. He remembered how he'd met the others; his scooter having broken down on the side of the road and him struggling to try and figure out the problem, when Tyler, Shelby and Teddie had pulled up.

"Nah, we just bumped into him when we got into town," Tyler laughed.

"My friends!" they looked around as Koda rushed towards them.

"Sorry we're late," Kendall called over as she followed at a more reasonable pace. The group laughed as Koda caught them in a group hug, lifting them into the air.

"How's the museum looking?" Jeremy asked as they persuaded Koda to let them go.

"A lot better, thankfully. We've been open again for a little while," Kendall smiled, relieved that the damage to her museum hadn't been too severe.

"Hey guys," James called as he approached. "Am I late?" he asked, checking his watch.

"Just on time mate," Chase grinned.

"Oh," Kendall checked her watch as well. "I assumed we were late since Teddie was already here," she commented in a mild tone, and Teddie went red.

"Hey! I'm not that bad," she complained as the others started to laugh at her. "Anymore..." she added after, blushing even more.

"No Heckyl or Ryan?" Chase asked, and the two shook their heads.

"Nah, Ryan's still a bit..." Jeremy trailed off awkwardly, and the group exchanged looks.

"He's getting better though," Teddie spoke up, trying to lighten the mood.

After they had destroyed the Dark Energem, Ryan had struggled to pull himself out of the darkness that had come with being connected to it. He had refused help at first, angry and upset and spiralling into the darkness until Jeremy had kicked down his door and refused to leave. Of course, he'd barely been able to hear for a few days after, but Ryan had eventually accepted that Jeremy and Heckyl knew what he was going through.

He'd improved over the year, but it had been a hard journey. He slipped occasionally, but his friends didn't leave him, and slowly but surely he was adjusting to remembering the positive emotions and not letting himself fall back into the negative.

"And Heckyl?" Riley asked. Teddie shook her head.

"Nah, he said that today's a Ranger day, and not a 'former evil dude' day," she told them.

"That's a much nicer way than he put it," Jeremy clarified for the others. "Plus, I don't think he'd ever say dude unless it's mocking you," he added, glancing to Teddie. She frowned

"Well I wasn't going to tell them he called us crayons," the girl shrugged. "The three of them are mean when they're together," she complained, and Olivia patted her shoulder.

"My apologies my friends for our tardiness," they all looked around at Ivan's call, smiling as he, Philip and Arianna reached them.

"'Anna!" the Mercurian let out a cry as Teddie tackled her to the ground in a hug.

"Every time?" she sighed as Teddie giggled.

"I think you need to learn how to brace yourself against her," Philip commented as the two stood again. Arianna frowned at him, her hands on her hips.

"Maybe you should be nicer," she complained.

"It doesn't seem like anyone has changed," James chuckled as Philip just smiled at Arianna, not offended by her words.

* * *

"Oh come _on_!" Kayden groaned, his fist hitting the machine he was working on.

"You know that beating it doesn't actually help fix it, right?" he turned and shot Jacob an irritated look as the Green Ranger walked into the command centre.

"No, but it makes me feel better," the Water Ninja grumbled, glowering at the machine. "It's still acting up. This damn virus is ruining my life," he complained dramatically, and Jacob chuckled, handing him a tablet.

"Kat's working on getting rid of it," Sky spoke up as he walked in, and Syd let his hand go as he walked up to the Commander's seat and she joined the Blue and Green Rangers.

"I'd like to know how it got onto our systems to begin with," the Pink Ranger commented, her arms folded.

"Bridge and Spence have been helping try and figure that out," Jacob told her, and shrugged. "Finally convinced the two to get some sleep. Well, Annie did," he grinned. Syd smiled in amusement, but it didn't hide her worry.

"Maybe Sophie could check it out?" Kayden suggested, glancing over to Sky, who shook his head.

"No, I don't want her near the systems until the virus is gone," he told them. "Kat already sealed off the systems so it can't get into the rest of SPD's systems. Let's keep it earthbound so it can be eradicated," the Commander told them, and they nodded.

"It's damn malicious. No regular virus," Jacob considered as Kayden started working again. "I'd love to know where it came from. Or what it's purpose is," he said, folding his arms.

"We'll find out soon enough," Sky's tone was clear, and Kayden glanced to Syd. He was not happy, and they weren't going to stop until they found out who was responsible.

* * *

"Impressive, Sir Riley," Ivan nodded as the two sparred in the park, using sticks found instead of real weapons. "You continue to improve, you would have made a fine knight indeed!" he told the former Green Ranger, who grinned back.

"Miko's taught me a few things," he admitted.

"Another fine warrior!" Ivan smiled, fond of the young Samurai.

"You mean you guys actually train together?" Teddie asked with a smile, and Riley nodded.

"We don't all just sit making out," Jeremy told her, smirking as a blush filled her cheeks.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she growled at him.

"Gross..." Chase muttered, and Olivia giggled, kissing his cheek as she leaned into him.

"And also hypocritical. You and Cassie never seem to come up for air," Teddie bit, and Jeremy laughed, not ashamed in the slightest as he leaned against the tree.

"How is she doing?" Tyler asked with a smile, Shelby's hand in his.

"She's doing great," Jeremy smiled goofily at the thought of his girlfriend. Even Teddie couldn't help but smile at how smitten he was. "She's in Omega City at the moment for a show," he told them.

"That's amazing," Arianna smiled.

"What about you guys? What have you been up to?" Shelby asked the Mercurian.

"Travelling around Zandar," she replied with a smile, Philip's arms around her. "Ivan was showing us where he lived, and the portal to the mystic realm too," Arianna said.

"I hadn't expected it to be so close," Philip admitted. "I'm honestly amazed I never stumbled across it as a child," he added as they looked up at Ivan and Riley as they continued to spar.

"You probably kept away from it out of instinct," Teddie shrugged, leaning against a tree. "It's the same with the entrance in Briarwood. They emit a sort of energy, it..." she trailed off, trying to think of the best way to describe it.

"It makes people wary of the area," Chase finished for her. "Makes you want to stay away. It's why Briarwood's entrance was left alone for so long," he explained.

"Then why were we alright to go there now?" Philip asked curiously, not having experienced anything like what they described.

"You were a Power Ranger mate, you probably didn't even notice it, we're kinda used to throwing ourselves at potentially dangerous situations," Chase laughed with a shrug. "And Arianna is just as reckless," he teased the blonde, who blushed.

"Am not," she argued feebly, but she knew he was right. The others chuckled as she sighed. Philip's grip on her tightened very lightly, and she leaned back against his chest, comfortable despite the teasing.

"Have you heard from Spencer recently, Ms. Morgan?" Teddie's eyes gleamed as the scientist blushed at the mention of the Gold SPD Ranger.

"He's been pretty busy lately, there seems to be a bit of trouble with the SPD systems," Kendall avoided meeting Teddie's gaze, knowing that the former White Ranger took great delight at the fact that the two were dating.

"Trouble at SPD?" James repeated, sounding wary. "That doesn't seem very promising," he commented. Kendall shook her head.

"They'll be okay," she reassured the man. "SPD have some of the best minds working there. They'll sort whatever the problem is," Kendall sounded confident, reassuring them all.

"Good, because I'm not sure what help we'll be," Shelby commented, and their smiles faded. The reason for their gathering rose to the surface of their mind.

It had been a year since they'd said goodbye to Keeper and the Energems, and they'd lost their powers in the final battle to destroy the Dark Energem. All of them missed it, feeling the loss of the power even a year later.

"Come on guys, it'll be fine," Tyler smiled at them, attempting to raise the spirits. "Everything's good now, we've gone a whole year with no monster attacks," he reminded them, and they smiled.

"You got your dad back too," Shelby nodded, and Tyler's smile grew wider as they leaned against each other.

"Ivan was freed too," Teddie spoke up, glancing to the former Gold Ranger and her ancestor.

"Oh, and Chase learned how to focus," Olivia smirked. Chase rolled his eyes.

"Do we have to bring that up?" he grumbled as Olivia laughed. "Hey, and you don't throw things at my head any more," he added, pulling her closer and making her squeak.

"We're _all_ glad for that," Shelby said, and the others nodded their agreement. None of them had particularly enjoyed Chase and Olivia constantly clashing when they first met.

All of them talked idly, having missed it as a daily occurrence since they had lost their powers. While they still talked, they hadn't all been together since they'd parted ways a year ago. It was nice, and they were glad they'd all been able to make time for it.

"Oh guys," Teddie spoke up suddenly, smiling. "You have to get a day off next month," she told them, making most look confused.

"Why? What's going on?" James asked curiously.

"It's the Ranger picnic, right?" Tyler smiled, and Teddie nodded.

"Ranger picnic?" Shelby repeated curiously.

"Yeah, past and present Rangers always get together when they can," Chase nodded. "They couldn't last year, typically when we're Rangers, but it's for everyone, family and friends of Rangers too," he told them.

"I haven't been since I was a little kid," Tyler smiled at the idea.

"Last time we were there, Spencer and his team hadn't been elevated to Ranger status for long," Teddie spoke up. Chase nodded. "Oh, and Chase was trying to show off for Arianna," the former Black Ranger's eyes widened and his face lit up red as everyone looked at him.

"That is _not_ true," he argued, but his red face didn't help matters as Arianna blinked rapidly, unsure of how to process the information. "You're so dead," Chase leapt up and Teddie scrambled to her feet, taking off with a laugh as the others started to laugh as well.

* * *

A squeal of laughter echoed through the corridors of the SPD base, and the small child clung to Annie, who smiled, tossing her into the air again as she walked down the corridor.

"She's going to get sick if you keep that up," Z warned with amusement, walking with the Silver Ranger.

"Huh, good point," Annie nodded, and grinned. "Here Kia, puke on Z instead," the baby giggled as she was angled to the shorter woman, who veered away automatically. "She isn't really going to," Annie laughed as Z blushed. "You gotta get over this awkward thing with babies Z," she teased as they walked into the command centre.

"There's my favourite person in the whole world!" Syd cooed as she rushed over, and Annie grinned, handing over her daughter as Sky rolled his eyes.

"Careful, the Commander will get jealous," Spencer grinned, fixing his glasses.

"I have the power to kick you out of this room Spencer, remember that," Sky warned him.

"But that would be abuse of your powers," Kayden told him with mock horror.

"A clear violation of the SPD handbook, Rule 267, the Commander-"

"Z, please, it's bad enough when the Commander quotes the handbook," Jacob complained. The others smiled in amusement as Spencer and Bridge continued to work.

"How's it going with you guys?" Annie asked as she approached, not really understanding what they were doing.

"I don't know," Bridge admitted, and she tilted her head, a little surprised by his answer. Spencer looked just as puzzled. She'd never known them to be unsure in what they were doing. They'd helped rebuild RIC, after all. The robotic dog, who had been sitting by Syd's feet, whined and walked over to them.

"It's weird, we can't find the virus. It's like it just...vanished," Spencer explained, scratching his head and making his hair stand on end.

"That's good, right?" Z frowned.

"Depends on where it went," Bridge warned her.

"And what damage it's left behind," Spencer added. Hearing a growl, they looked around at RIC, who was standing looking at them. "Please tell me you're kidding," the Gold Ranger breathed in horror, staring at the growling dog.

"RIC?" Syd took a tentative step towards him, and RIC let out a snarl.

"Don't!" Sky stood, but RIC was faster, activating his weapons systems. Spencer pushed in front and blocked it with a shield. The blast collided with a computer, causing it to explode, and Sky fired a blast from his weapon left on the desk. RIC was tossed across the room, slamming into a wall. RIC let out a whimper, before the lights on his system faded and he lay motionless.

"What the _hell_ is happening?" Annie demanded, holding Kiana close as the baby cried in fear over the explosions.

"I think the virus got into RIC's systems," Kayden breathed as he and Spencer approached the motionless robot carefully.

"But _how_? Doesn't he have insane firewalls?" Jacob demanded.

"So does SPD. The virus must have gotten to RIC too and just lay dormant until now," Bridge realised.

"Is he going to be okay?" Syd asked fearfully. Nobody spoke, looking at the hole ripped through the robotic dog. "Bridge, Spencer?" she turned to the two responsible for fixing him. They looked at her, both worried.

"We could probably repair the damage..." Spencer agreed with a slow nod.

"But the chances of him still being infected," Bridge hesitated, forcing himself to meet Syd's tear-filled eyes. "They're pretty high," he admitted.

"No..." Syd put her hands to her mouth, and Sky caught her, pulling her into his arms. "We can't lose RIC! He helped us through _everything_! We'd never have survived without him!" she shouted, the tears spilling down her face.

"Can't you mess with his programming?" Jacob asked. "You know, get rid of the virus?" he questioned.

"This virus is more dangerous than we expected," Spencer shook his head. "We knew it was malicious, but the fact that it turned RIC on us, it proves that whatever it is, it's hostile. We couldn't get rid of the virus in the computers, it _left_ of it's own accord," he pointed out, looking worried.

"Spencer's right," Bridge nodded, a hand on Annie's arm as Kiana continued to cry. "We need to focus on finding it and stopping it from causing any more harm," he told them, and the others nodded. The alarm suddenly blared, and they looked around at the computer quickly as a bright red light shone on the screen.

" _You are all fools_ ," they went rigid at the robotic voice that somehow carried an arrogance to it. " _You are weak, and will all fall before me_!" the voice declared.

"Who _are_ you?" Sky demanded, carrying the full authority he had.

" _My name will soon be all you know. When I have infected your computer systems worldwide, then you will see just how weak you humans truly are_ ," the voice declared. The threat rang clear to them all, and the Rangers stood taller, not about to bow down. " _If you are the world's defenders, then try and stop me. You will quickly find that your weak human selves are no match for the intellect and strength of machines!_ Then, _you will remember the name Venjix_!" with a loud, cackling laugh, the screen shut off, and the rest of the power in SPD's base did the same.

"We're in trouble now," Spencer murmured.

* * *

 **That's putting it lightly.**

 **I'm not too sure when I'll be posting RPM: Battle For Humanity, so keep an eye out for it!**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Please review!**


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